Game Notes: St. Mary's College @ North Central College (11/9/21)

Final Score
NCC 58, SMC 47

Game Summary
Wasn't the prettiest game, but the Cardinals (1-0) came out of the gate strong on the defensive end, putting the clamps on the Belles (0-1) for the first several minutes, allowing just a single free throw as they were able to build a 15-1 lead eight minutes in. Then the cold spell set in, as the Belles scored the last five of the opening quarter and the first 11 of the second quarter to take their first lead of the contest. St. Mary's would push their lead as high as seven midway through the frame before the Cardinal offense woke up, and thanks in part to a late jumper cut it to two at 27-25 Belles going into the break. The Cardinals opened the second half on a 6-0 run, keeping the Belles off the board for the first four and a half minutes and only allowed a single field goal, giving NCC a 35-31 lead after three. A 7-0 Cardinal run early in the fourth pushed NCC's lead back to double digits, and the Belles would get no closer than within seven the rest of the way.

Key Players

• Allison Pearson (NCC): 5-12 FG (4-9 3PT); 14 pts, 7 reb (1 off), 6 ast, 2 stl. The five turnovers were a little alarming, but the six assists more than made up for it. She hit a trio of early threes, including one that kind of banked home and elicited a smile coming back down the court. I wondered if it was a sign of a good day upcoming, and her numbers tonight were good, but she didn't threaten the record book or anything. Underrated is the rebounding, especially among some taller players. Good start to the year.
• IxChel Leeuwenburgh (NCC): 5-14 FG; 10 pts, 11 reb (5 off), 1 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl. I continue to be impressed at how well IxChel has improved as a player. She had a very strong outing in this one, and while the shooting left a little to be desired, she led all players in rebounds, bearing in mind that she did double dip on a couple offensive boards to get a putback at one point. I'll allow it though.
• Elle Deardorff (SMC): 6-13 FG (3-6 3PT), 4-6 FT; 19 pts, 2 reb (1 off), 1 stl. Deardorff was probably the best player for a team playing its first game in almost two years. It was a pretty good shooting night for her, with all of her made threes coming in the second quarter to get her to double figures by the break. She got slowed down in the second half, which was a big reason for the Cardinal victory.

Key Stats

• NCC: Outrebounded SMC 45-31. I'm so used to this going the other way, but the Cardinals did an outstanding job on the glass in this one. North Central held an 18-11 edge on the offensive glass, helping steer a 15-9 advantage in second chance points. It didn't account for all of it, but it was a big contributor.
• SMC: Outscored NCC off turnovers 16-14. This was a big thing for me, especially early, as the Cardinals for stretches in the first half were a little careless with the ball. There were two unforced turnovers in the backcourt by North Central, and while I don't remember if the Belles scored directly off either, they didn't help. It was part of why Saint Mary's got out to the lead in the second quarter.

Final Thoughts
For a first game, you expect some rust and some kinks to be worked out, and that was definitely the case. I'm also not terribly surprised that the Cardinals had an offensive cold spell, but I'm glad it happened when it did and not late in the game. North Central played really good defense in this one, and did enough on offense, especially late in the game, to seal this one out and open the campaign with a win.

It was also great to get back to having a game with fans in the building, and they definitely helped bring some energy in this one. Nature is healing.

The Cardinals will hit the road this weekend to Southwest Michigan to play in Hope College's Tip Off Tournament. They'll get Mount Union in the opener on Friday, then will play either Edgewood or the host Flying Dutch on Saturday.